Hills of Rivermist residents rally, demand buybacks
It's been weeks since a massive retaining wall failure left an entire subdivision questioning the safety of their homes. Now, dozens from the Hills of Rivermist subdivision are demanding action by Pulte-Centex homes.  They say they are frustrated with the lack of progress.  Stacia Willson has the full story. KENS 5: Stacia Willson Reports

Buyback offers for 27 homes at Rivermist
Centex Homes will offer to buy back 27 homes in a Northwest Side neighborhood and plans to spend $4 million to $5 million to rebuild a massive retaining wall that collapsed Jan. 24. Carlos Pena, who bought a house a few months ago at the top of the slope, stood at his back door and pointed to where the earth fell away from his house. The area where his back porch once stood now drops straight down at least 10 feet and his entire backyard sank.He has received a buyback offer but said it doesn't address the stress his family has experienced. “It's not enough,” Pena said.

Little Rivermists are everywhere in San Antonio
What is going on over at the Hills of River Mist is just 'the tip of the iceberg' in San Antonio. The 'Mud Lake of Rivermist' would have been a more appropriate name. All over San Antonio and the surrounding areas just outside anybody's oversight, subdivision after subdivision have been built where thousands of homes have had foundations constructed on improperly prepared lots.

Rivermist residents urge city council to hold homebuilder accountable
Residents of the northwest neighborhood of Rivermist are again asking city leaders for help. They want the city to encourage their homebuilder, Centex/Pulte, to buy back their homes. They say the wall collapse problem is getting worse. Neighbors say the retaining wall that collapsed in late January is breaking down even more, just down the street. Chuck Cervantes, who lives across the street from homes that have been evacuated because of the collapse and ongoing safety concerns, says Centex/Pulte has hired a company to test soil samples from under the Rivermist homes. Cervantes thinks that soil was never equipped to support a construction project of this size.

Residents in landslide area fear more cracks in walls 
Some evacuated San Antonio residents say more cracks have shown up in retaining walls meant to halt sliding soil and protect their homes. Residents of The Hills of Rivermist said they started noticing the cracks after heavy rains several weeks ago. Some residents stopped by the site Wednesday, in the neighborhood where slipping soil on Jan. 24 forced the evacuation of about 90 houses.  Sherwin Tolentino, who's still living in a hotel, showed reporters apparent unstability in a fence and foundation problems. Tolentino says cracks have opened in a large retaining wall behind his house. City spokeswoman Di Galvan says a building inspector Wednesday could find no new damage. Centex Homes has hired an engineering firm for evaluation and recommendations on fixing the soil problem.

New cracks found in Rivermist walls
Residents say new cracks have opened in retaining walls in a Northwest Side neighborhood where the collapse of one wall led to the evacuation of more than two dozen homes. The affected walls are independent of the one that sustained the collapse, but are nearby. “There's one that's very significant,” said Sherwin Tolentino, a resident who has been evacuated from his home for five weeks. “I could put my fingers between the cracks. You're looking at a ticking time bomb.”

Top Secret Damage control. Evacuated homeowner frustrated with builder
...for the first time you can see up close the foundation problems homeowners are dealing with because of the failed retaining wall at the Hills of Rivermist.  At first, security didn't let us on the property, even though we were invited by Sherwin Tolentino, an evacuated homeowner. But once in the backyard of the home at 8243 Rockwell Vista, KENS 5 cameras captured an unstable fence with gaps in the ground and growing foundation problems.  Related KENS News 5 Coverage

Toyota, Pulte learning crisis management
Toyota's issues with unintended acceleration, floor mats, brakes and recalls and Pulte/Centex Homes' association with a frightening retaining wall failure have absorbed big chunks of San Antonio news media attention in recent weeks. Both situations offer useful lessons about crisis management to other organizations.

Centex wrong about wall threat
The day after a towering retaining wall collapsed in a Northwest Side neighborhood, officials with Centex Homes told anxious residents that the San Antonio Fire Department was leaving the neighborhood because the danger had ended. The San Antonio Express-News received a video of the entire private meeting on Jan. 25 at a Drury Inn & Suites between Centex and residents of Rivermist and The Hills of Rivermist, filmed by an attendee. It shows Centex Homes’ Trey Marsh telling scores of families, “They don’t feel like there’s a threat anymore based on the work that we’ve done since this whole deal started.”

New homes built in landslide neighborhood
Homeowners affected by a landslide in a Northwest Side neighborhood are asking why their builder is still building new homes in the neighborhood. Homes started sliding down a hill in the Hills of Rivermist subdivision in January when a retaining wall failed. The builder, Centex, has begun constructing several new homes nearby. News 4 WOAI checked with city officials and independent engineers Monday to see if the new construction was safe. News 4 WOAI was told the new homes are on solid ground, but that the builder needs to follow construction standards. "In the end, if they don't, then they won't get a certificate of occupancy," explained District 8 City Councilman Reed Williams. "So, there's still another checkpoint or two obviously."  Councilman Williams also said Centex is scheduled to be finished with an overall evaluation of the Hills of Rivermist problem by the end of February.  News 4 news report